


It's No Game

by Sashataakheru



Category: Taskmaster (UK TV) RPF, The Prisoner (1967)
Genre: Blood Oaths, Capture, Crossover, D/s, Disloyalty, Disobedience, Double Agents, Gaslighting, Gen, Imprisonment, Intimidation, Kidnapping, Knife Play, Lies, Loyalty, Master/Servant, Mind Games, Obedience, Power Plays, Punishment, Rebellion, Restraints, Rough Sex, Secrets, Sex Games, Spies, Submission, Threesome, Vows, caged, confined, denial of attention, informants, ropes, tied up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-05-20 13:32:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: The Village used to be a place hidden from view. Now it hides in plain sight, ruled over by Number Two, who delights in breaking his prisoners by making them complete endless, pointless tasks for him under constant surveillance. Besides, it wouldn’t be Taskmaster if no one had a breakdown.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [If at First You Don't Succeed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468762) by [fateisnotafactor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fateisnotafactor/pseuds/fateisnotafactor). 



> More a conceptual futuristic crossover than a fusion with the original Prisoner canon, but one I just could not resist because it just works so very well. Because if Black Mirror has taught me anything, it’s that this is what the Village would look like in the future. There may be more of this, if I can figure out where it’s going next. 
> 
> Inspired by [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468762) and it's time-loopy-ness, which reminded me of Black Mirror: White Christmas, and all the timeloopyiness in The Prisoner. It's also where I paraphrased the last line in this fic summary from, because it is 100% true.

"How are our little cherubs today, Alex?"  
  
Alex bowed deeply as Number Two entered the room, where screens showed where every prisoner was, along with GPS trackers to make sure they never strayed from sight.  
  
"They're doing well, sir, very well. They all seem to have accepted their fate and integrated well into the Village. It's up to you when to start them on their tasks," Alex said.  
  
"Any close to cracking yet? I'd love to have one I can play with. I want to watch them fall apart," Number Two said, glee sparkling in his eyes.  
  
"There are a couple, yes, but you'll have to wait a little longer. One or two more tasks should do it, I think. Then they'll be ready for you," Alex said.  
  
"Good, good. Well, if our new arrivals are ready, go set them some tasks to do. I want to see how they all cope with them. Then I'll know who I'll be seeing in my room next. Go forth, and be my Eye, child. Report back to me when you're done," Number Two said, pleased with his assistant.  
  
"Yes, sir, right away, sir."  


* * *

  
After Number Two had left, Alex got to work, locating all the new arrivals he had to go and greet. He knew all their backstories, their strengths, and their weaknesses, and knew just what he needed to press to make them snap. It was his job to know these things. He noted down where he needed to go, and then went to a filing cabinet, where he picked out the tasks he wanted to use. Satisfied, he went to find his victims.  


* * *

  
Aisling crossed the field to meet him, curious as to what was going on. She'd been summoned here, but she didn't really know why.  
  
"I mean, that's the whole point of it, isn't it? You're not supposed to know what's going on," Aisling muttered, hoping no one overheard her.  
  
"Morning, Aisling," Alex said.  
  
"Hi, Alex. What's going on, then? Why've you brought me here to a fucking field in the middle of nowhere?" Aisling said.  
  
"Your task, Aisling," Alex said, handing her the wax-sealed piece of paper.  
  
She gave him a wary look, but opened it anyway. "'Find your way home. Make your way to the motorway, and hail down a green taxi to take you back to the Taskmaster's house. Fastest time wins. You will be disqualified if you get into any other vehicles, or do not arrive back at the Taskmaster house within a week's time. Your time starts now.'" She reread it, just to make sure she had actually read all of that correctly. "Alex, what the hell is this shite." She looked around. "Where the fuck is the motorway? I never saw a motorway. I didn't even hear one. Where are we?"  
  
"We're right here. Good luck, Aisling," Alex said.  
  
She gave him an angry glare, but decided better than quitting while she was ahead. She had been blindfolded and deafened when she'd been taken here. Perhaps there really had been a motorway. All she had to do was find it. After all, how hard could that be? Who loses a motorway?  
  
Alex watched her jog off into the mist, wondering if she would make it back at all. He called the house.  
  
"Sixteen is on her way. Keep an eye out for her. I'll make sure she doesn't get off course. Let me know where she is at all times."  
  
He slipped his phone back in his pocket, switched his ear piece on, and followed after her, not wanting to lose her now.  


* * *

  
Hours later, Aisling had found a forest. She stood at the edge of the tree line, looking baffled. Alex watched her, unwilling to tell her she was going in the wrong direction.  
  
"Everything alright?" Alex inquired.  
  
She glanced at him. "I thought I heard some cars, I'm sure I did. Where is this bloody road? I'm sure it was this way."  
  
"I think it's only trees this way. I think the road's somewhere else," Alex said.  
  
"Oh, well, of course you bloody know where it is, don't you? It didn't say you couldn't take me to the motorway, did it? So, move it, Alex. Show me where to go," Aisling said.  
  
"That's not how this works, Aisling. You'll have to find it yourself," Alex said.  
  
"Alright then, I give up. Make it stop. Fail me. I don't care. I've been walking for hours and I'm lost. I give up. Take me home, Alex," Aisling said.  
  
"The only way home is to tell us the truth. You need to tell us everything you know," Alex said.  
  
"Truth? What truth? What are you on about? I don't know anything, that's why I can't find this fucking road!" Aisling cried. "Take me home, Alex. I give up."  
  
"Only if you tell us everything you know. Then I'll take you home," Alex said. "Don't think we are ignorant of who you are and what you've been doing. Sally was very, very helpful. You could be very helpful to us, too."  
  
Aisling turned to him then, angry at the mention of Sally's name. "No! Not Sally! She wouldn't - she couldn't - what have you done to her?"  
  
Alex merely smiled. "Would you like to see her?"  
  
Aisling grasped his shirt tightly, staring straight into her eyes. "You take me to her, you pathetic little turd. I'm not here to play your bloody games."  
  
Alex, to his credit, did not flinch. Number Two had trained him well to withstand this sort of pressure, and it was working. "Find the motorway. Then maybe I'll take you to see her. The Taskmaster doesn't reward bad behaviour, and not completing a task for him is very bad behaviour. Now, are you going to go and find the motorway, Aisling?"  
  
She let him go and thought about his words. "Okay, fine. I'll go find the bloody road. The least you could do is to point me in the right direction, though."  
  
Alex didn't say anything except point in the right direction for the motorway. Aisling nodded a curt 'Thank you, Alex' before heading in the direction he indicated, seemingly satisfied for now.  


* * *

  
Alex guided her to a little hut as night closed in. It didn't have much, just a bed, some food, and a small bathroom, but Aisling couldn't have asked for more. She'd walked for so long, and her feet ached. She'd eaten everything they'd given her before she set out, but she'd eaten the last sandwich at least three hours ago, and she was famished. She kicked her shoes off, and lay back, closing her eyes to the world, just for a moment.  
  
"What's Sally been saying, Alex? What's she told you?" Ailing said.  
  
"She told us everything, Aisling. That's how you get free from this place. You tell us what we want to know, and then you can leave," Alex said.  
  
"And you just want me to tell you everything and I can go, is that it?" Aisling said.  
  
"That's right," Alex said.  
  
Aisling sighed. "Maybe tomorrow. Get me some food, Alex. I'm starving."  
  
"Of course," Alex said.  
  
The kitchen was nothing more than a small bench with a few cupboards, a sink, and a portable burner. There was a small bar fridge with milk and cheese, and some ham, as well as cereal, fruit and vegetables, pans, knives, and other things in the cupboards. Alex had stayed here before, when he was supervising someone else, but they had taken a lot longer to crack. He suspected Aisling wouldn't need much more to break. He distracted himself making bacon and eggs and toast, and brewing some tea, into which he slipped just enough of the drug he needed to make her forget, to blur her memories enough so that he could manipulate them the next day.  
  
"Supper, Aisling," Alex called as he brought the food out to her.  
  
"Oh, yay! Good work, Alex," Aisling said, eager to eat.  
  
He set the food down for her and watched her eat, his own meal nursed in his lap. He listened to her talk about nothing for at least an hour before she fell asleep. He tidied up quietly, and lay a blanket over her, before he went outside to make an important call.  
  
"It's about Sixteen. Bring the road to us tomorrow. We're in the hut. I'll try and arrange it for 11am but keep an eye on our movements. She's a little erratic," Alex said.  
  
He shivered as the cold closed in and headed back inside, where his own bed folded out from a wall, hidden in plain sight. He switched off his ear piece, put his things into the locked cabinet under his bed, and went to sleep.  


* * *

  
He woke before she did the next morning. There, he prepared breakfast, coffee, and the route he should guide her on to get her to the motorway. He was never really guiding her, as if he was holding her hand, because that wasn't allowed. But he could help her figure out the right way to go. And now, on the second day, was when things would get weird, and he needed to prepare her for that.  
  
He gently shook her awake when it was time. "Aisling. Aisling, good morning. It's time to get up. We've got to go soon."  
  
She yawned, and stretched, and eventually, after some cajoling and another threat to leave her behind, she sat up and glared at him as he set breakfast before her.  
  
"Thank you, Alex," she managed to say. "He really works you hard, doesn't he?"  
  
"Hmm? Who does?" Alex said.  
  
"Greg, of course. I bet you were bloody up before dawn, doing all his little chores and taking care of me. When did you go to bed? After midnight?" Aisling said.  
  
Alex looked away, not wanting to admit it was true, at least when he was at the house. Here, he'd actually slept most of the night, once he'd got the paperwork done.  
  
"You really deserve better than him, you know. You need someone who doesn't take advantage of you," Aisling said.  
  
"You are assuming I don't like it, Aisling. But I do. I really enjoy serving the Taskmaster. I wouldn't want it any other way," Alex said.  
  
"Yeah, but you do, though, Alex. You want him to love you. Don't think that's not obvious. We can all see it, plain as day. Don't wait for him, Alex. I've dated guys like that. They're not worth it," Aisling said.  
  
"Who I date is none of your business, Aisling. Now, you'd better eat up. The motorway's still some distance away, so we should get moving. There is a shower if you would like to use it before we leave," Alex said, deflecting the conversation.  
  
"I would like that, yes, thank you, Alex. Now, I don't know, go and do something else. You're creeping me out watching me eat like that," Aisling said.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I'll be outside," Alex said and excused himself.  
  
He found a spot outside where he could see her through the window, and he made sure the cameras could track her properly, so the house knew where she was and what she was doing at all times.  
  
He thought about him. Greg. Number Two. His boss. The man he adored more than any other. He'd be having his morning cuddles right about now if he'd been home, and he was missing them keenly today. If this went to plan, he might get a cuddle later on, at the end of the day, when no one else was watching.  
  
But that wasn't really true though. There was always someone watching. That was the point of it all. There was nowhere he could escape with him, away from prying eyes. Even out here, he was being watched, as was Aisling. Nothing in this world went unseen or untracked. That was why it worked so very well. The panopticon allowed nothing and no one to hide.  


* * *

  
"Alright, Alex, show me where this bloody road is!" Aisling called as she ran out to meet him at last.  
  
"Hi Aisling. It's this way," Alex said and pointed off into the distance behind him. "Shall we get moving? I think we might find it today, then you can go home."  
  
"Yay! I'd love to go home. I'm tired of searching for bloody motorways," Aisling said.  
  
"Well, it's this way, come on," Alex said.  


* * *

  
It was another two hours before they heard cars. The route had been deliberately confusing, and the rests they'd taken had given Alex time to make her more pliable and mould her mind in the way Number Two wanted it. She would still take some time to crack, but he'd at least begun the process. The rest was still to come.  
  
Aisling began to run when she heard the cars, hoping it was close by. The terrain was hilly and steep, and trees blocked the way, but she scrambled up a hill and screamed with delight when she looked down and saw the road below here.  
  
"Oh, there it is! The road! We found the road, Alex!" Aisling said. "Now, how do we get home? Wasn't there like, a red car we're meant to get into?"  
  
Alex handed her the task. She read it intently.  
  
"Aha! Green taxi! That's the one. Come on, Alex, let's go find our way home," Aisling said.  
  
"Right, of course," Alex said, watching her recklessly scramble down the hill on the other side, slipping a little on the fallen leaves. He carefully followed her, making sure he didn't hurt her, or himself, as they made it down to the road.  
  
"So when's this bloody taxi coming, then? Are we gonna have to wait, like, five hours for it or something?" Aisling said.  
  
"I don't know. Hopefully, it should be along soon," Alex said. He checked his watch. 11:23am. They were a little later than he'd planned, but it was within the agreed time.  
  
"There'd better only be one green taxi, Alex. I know what he's bloody like. I can just imagine him disqualifying me for getting in the wrong green taxi, yeah? It's not gonna be like that, is it, Alex?" Aisling said. The angry eyes were back.  
  
"No, no, there's just one green taxi. And I think I see it. Unless that's another green car in the distance," Alex said, looking down the road.  
  
Aisling looked where he was looking, and there was indeed a green taxi coming down the road. Aisling cheered and flagged it down. Never had she been so excited to see a taxi before.  
  
"Take us home, Alex. To the Taskmaster's house!" Aisling said as she leant back against her seat.  


* * *

  
Aisling slept most of the way, Alex made sure of that. Other than that, there was merely silence. Alex needed it. He had notes to make and a report to write up when he got back. But even he allowed himself a little nap, closing his eyes just for a moment, while there was still peace and space to sleep.  


* * *

  
Alex gently lifted Aisling out of the car and carried her through to her room, laying her gently down on the sofa. He tucked her in and wrapped a blanket around her before leaving her to sleep.  


* * *

  
"Sixteen is done, sir. She's sleeping it off now," Alex said as Number Two gazed out his office window.  
  
"Good, good. Task one is done. Let's see how she goes with the next one. And everything went fine? No issues?" Number Two said.  
  
"No, no. No problems, sir. She surrendered completely to it," Alex said.  
  
"That is good to hear. I hope she breaks quickly, I think I can crack Sally if I have her at my side," Number Two said.  
  
"You mean, Twenty-Four, sir," Alex said.  
  
"Yes, Twenty-Four. Go and make sure she's okay, then write up your report for me. Then you can go to bed. Have an early night. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day," Number Two said.  
  
"Yes, sir, thank you, sir. And - may I - a little cuddle, sir? Just a little one?" Alex said.  
  
Number Two turned to him, smiling. "Of course. Just a little one. You've still got work to do."  
  
Alex didn't mind. He would take what he could get, and if it was being momentarily lost in his master's big warm arms, even if just for a moment, he would take it.  
  
"Thank you," Alex whispered.  
  
"Go on, get to work. You did good today, Alex. Well done," Number Two said.  
  
Alex beamed, offered a respectful bow, and took his leave, closing the door behind him.

 

* * *

  
There was a kennel, tucked away right out the back of the property, where no one could really see it. Alex, bearing a loaf of bread and some water, cautiously approached it, knowing he needed to be careful around Twenty-Four. She had tried it on with him more than once, and almost succeeded, but he'd never given in. He had to resist her, because he knew if he didn't, he'd fall completely under her control, and that would get him killed.  
  
"Twenty-Four? I've got your supper," Alex called tentatively.  
  
A face appeared out of the shadows. She glared at him, her face dirty and cut, but with eyes filled with fierce determination. She didn't speak.  
  
Carefully, Alex opened the little slot and put the food inside before closing it again, glad there was a structure in place to make it impossible for her to reach him while the gate was open. He watched her take the food and sit back, never taking her eyes off him.  
  
Alex swallowed, and backed away, glad he never had to watch her. She frightened him. That's why it was Number Two's job to break her, and in that moment, he wasn't sure who would win.


	2. Time Has Come Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you really a prisoner if you've opened the gate and locked yourself in, knowing full well what the cost might be when they break you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have been watching through s4 and got to that point where they give Mel Giedroyc all those tasks with the giant beach ball, for no other reason than to see if they can break her/push her to her limits, and, well. Combined with all the creepy shots of the house and the clocks and the sand timers and Greg creeping around like a creeper, well. I had my opening line, and it all came from there. You're welcome. I mean, you all did ask for more creepy Taskmaster house fic, y/y? :P

Time works differently here. I can't really explain it, I just know you can't trust your senses. You walk through those gates and you enter another world, one you don't have any control over. Not even Alex controls it, not really. He's just following orders. He watches. he reports, he remembers everything you've done, and is more than happy to recount your failures in front of an audience, no matter how much you want to just hide away and die with embarrassment.  
  
I know I can't trust Alex, but he makes you want to - _need_ to - trust him because he's your only way out. Once they break you, then they let you go. I know, I've seen it. I don't want to break, I don't want them to win, but I can't stay here, not forever, anyway. Everyone has their price, though, right?  
  
-  
  
I hate knowing what's really going on. Whether he let me see, or if I just saw enough to work it out, I don't know. Maybe I'll never know. I can see what he's really planning in secret, how he wants to rebel against his masters and rule over them all. I can see it in who he brings through those gates, and who never gets chosen. I know what he's planning. But now I feel complicit, even though I've done nothing except try to blow up balloons, get pissed, and punt Alex back to shore. Is he testing us? Is he trying to see what skills we have that might be useful?  
  
Perhaps I'm just too smart for this show. This prison. It is a prison, I know it is. Even without being left in a cage to break my spirit, it's still a prison. It just doesn't have any bars or locks. You open the gate yourself and enter willingly, glad to be chosen. You submit to this confinement, to the silence, to the not knowing at all until you're summoned to his great palace to face your judgement and humiliation, and perhaps also his wrath. Maybe he'll make your sentence longer if he's displeased with you. Maybe you'll rise to become his champion, and win his loyalty and adoration. Maybe you'll just fail, week after week, and you watch them slowly break someone down until they crack. Then you wonder where they go, and whether they'll be stuck forever in some time loop until they do what he wants them to do.  
  
I know. I saw it. I watched it happen to Nish.  
  
-  
  
I'm never sure I really leave this place. Sometimes, I think this house is the whole world, and all I do is exist in it, never able to ever escape. I dream about being here. I dream about everything.  
  
I'm trying not to break, but I know my price, and perhaps I just need to give in, just to make the madness end. I don't know if I want anyone else to get hurt. But then what's even real in this world anymore? Is any of this real?  
  
-  
  
He used to be able to make me resist. He offered every temptation, but I held firm. I refused to budge. He pushed against me, and I pushed back, I had enough strength, enough resolve, to keep him at bay. Every time I knelt at his feet, I resisted him. I kept my silence. I wouldn't crack. I wouldn't break. What I knew was valuable. That was why I was here. But I wouldn't tell him, because I knew who he served.  
  
I was a challenge to him, I knew that well enough. He liked it when we fought back. He knew enough about us to know how to pick at our wounds until we cracked, to press us in just the right way that we shattered. The tasks were like that, too, sometimes, just a single task perfectly tailored for one of us that we just assumed everyone else had done, because that's how the show worked. We only found out once we were seated before him in judgement, and he crushed our wills with the weight of them. I don't know if Mark ever recovered from his. Five months of daily texts and he was two short, so he got no points for it. I've never seen a man crumble like that.  
  
He knew my weaknesses. But I wasn't as easy as Mark or Nish. It would take more to grind me down. He even sent Alex to me, as if that would make me give in if I could just have him one last time, when I could have him all for myself. And I nearly gave in. I watched that frightened little boy, who clearly didn't want to be doing this, come to me again and again, and kiss me because he'd been told to and Alex was nothing if not obedient to his master's wishes, and so many times, I nearly gave in. His kisses were so chaste and delightful, and he always blushed so red afterwards.  
  
But I couldn't do it, not like that. His heart wasn't in it, he didn't want to be there, and I didn't want to hurt him. The way he kept begging me not to, whispering 'no', 'don't make me do this', 'please don't touch me', 'I need you to be strong', I just couldn't. He just wept in my arms instead. Perhaps that was how his master really wanted to break me. Perhaps he was breaking Alex. Perhaps he hadn't counted on me not wanting to take advantage of his pure submission to me. He might obey me, but I wasn't his master. I wanted him, I won't deny that, but not like that, not when he can't say no.  
  
-  
  
That's the thing about Alex. He does what he's told. He's completely at our mercy and command. I can tell him to do anything, and he'll do it. I could've slept with him so many times. I had him right where I'd wanted him, right from the beginning. And he would've done it, even if he didn't want to, because he'd been told to submit to me. I found that thrilling, to have this beautiful young man at my beck and call, to know he would do whatever I told him to do. I could make him lie down while I smeared cake all over him, or wrap him in cling film and turn him into a baby, or get him drunk on absinthe. He even wore my knickers. He did everything I asked him to do.  
  
Even when he was sent to me against his will, when he sat next to me like a frightened kitten, his master forcing him to be aroused in my presence with a cock ring, I never gave in, even though I really wanted to. I could've taken him any time. I could've had as much sex as I wanted with that beautiful boy, and he wouldn't have refused me. If he hadn't been so frightened, if he'd felt like he could consent or not, maybe I would have. It's not like I didn't want him.  
  
I confess it had become my greatest weakness. My desire for Alex was turned against me, a way to make me submit, to make be give in, to have what I had longed for as I spent days and weeks and months doing these tasks for him, never knowing what I would be judged on, but always wanting to please his master. That was the point of it, to please him enough to get out of here, even if we never really knew how to do that. And all the while, spending all this time with Alex, and never giving in to temptation.  
  
-  
  
I think I spent a lot of time just stroking his head gently, when Alex felt safe enough to be close to me. He liked being comforted. If we did nothing else when he'd been sent to me, it was that.  
  
-  
  
The house is strange in the dark. Stranger. It never quite feels lived in, even though it's always full of people. There's no dust. There's no smell. It feels unreal in very strange ways.  
  
It's like a halfway house, an inn where people never stay, they just come and go. You miss each other like ships, just passing invisible in the fog, unless they want you there together, even though they never tell you your teammates are going to be there. They tell you to come, and you come. You never question it. Why would you?  
  
-  
  
Standing alone in the hallway in the dark, I could've sworn I felt something there. A presence. His presence? You never see him unless he wants you to see him. He's like a ghost. But he's always there. His face is everywhere, on every wall, staring at you. You can never escape him.  
  
I'm still not sure what I would do if he ever caught me there, when I hadn't been summoned by him, when I wasn't supposed to be there. Would I run, or would I kneel and offer my life to him?  
  
-  
  
I met Aisling a while back. I won't say where. Even wanting to write this down scares me. But I needed to see her, away from that place, away from the house and its weirdness.  
  
-  
  
I'm sure I saw the hands of the clock outside above the living room spinning backwards uncontrollably once. Just once. I think the sun moved across the sky like a meteor, or an eclipse, and the world went dark for a moment. No one else saw it.  
  
-  
  
This whole world is filled with time. There are so many clocks, just ticking away in your quiet silence, when you think you've escaped the madness of that house. Every clock is a reminder of that. Everything has a time limit. Everything. It could be one minute, or two hours, or ten weeks, but there is always a time limit. Failure to meet the time limit results in punishment. So you learn to care very much about how long everything takes. You obsess over it. You wonder, idly, whether you can peel fifty grapes in fifty seconds, even though you've never been asked to do that, but you never really know what's coming next and who knows? Maybe that's the skill you'll need to finally get out of here.  
  
Because you need to do things fast too. Nothing strikes fear in the heart like that final line, 'Fastest time wins', particularly if it's something you're not sure you're going to be very good at. You always, always want to win. It's why we're here. We submitted to this prison because we want to win, whatever the cost. That's how it becomes your choice. You locked yourself in, not them.  
  
-  
  
None of that matters anymore. Not even the gift of Alex excites me now. I'm tired. I'm just tired. I think he might win if it means all this pain will end. Because I'm afraid of what he might do if I hold on any longer. Everything has a time limit, especially your silence. If you don't give in willingly, they won't wait to break you. They'll just take it, and if it's enough to kill you, so be it. They have what they want. They win. They always win.  
  
-  
  
Aisling always gave me hope. He sent her to me too, once he saw sending me Alex wasn't going to work. She kissed me in the same sweet way she always kissed me, and she told me to be strong, at least at first. I knew the moment they'd broken her, and by then, I knew it was only a moment of time before I cracked too. I was only strong when she was strong. Without her, I couldn't hold on.  
  
-  
  
The worst thing is how much fun it all is. That's what convinces you there's nothing darker going on. Alex summons you, and tells you where to go, and you obey. You give in to it all like you have no choice, but you get there, and you read the task, and you have the best time with him, with doing all these ridiculous tasks, no matter what they are. For a while, you forget. You get lost in the laughter, and the joy, and the fun of it all. You get to play and be a kid again, and that's like crack, really. You can be messy and wet and throw food and sand and jelly and make stacks with cans and it's the best fun you could ever hope to have in your life. That makes you keep going back, because no matter what you're being asked to do, it's always fun.  
  
Even now, when I know what's really going on, Alex could take me blindfolded to a park and make me come up with tree puns for a minute, and I'd ramble nonsense at him and the cameras and we'd have the best time. He'll just laugh the way he always laughs, and give me a sweet smile, and it'll be a fun afternoon. And maybe I'll put the blindfold on him later and lead him around, just for a laugh, because he likes being with me, when he hasn't been sent to me and told to have sex with me.  
  
It's when I see his beautiful sad eyes that I want to just hug him and take him away from all of this. But I don't know if he actually wants to leave. I'm not sure I do, either.  
  
-  
  
The way the house is different every time I'm there unnerves me. When you're obsessed with time, you try to remember where things are, in case you need them next time. You just never know when something you see in the house might be needed for something. Anything could be waiting for you with your next task. Except next time, the thing you realise you really need for this task is never where you thought it was, and Alex will just smile and say it's been in this new place all along, you just remembered wrong.  
  
I know, intellectually, what they're doing. I know the lights have been dimmed. But that doesn't mean it doesn't work.  
  
-  
  
You never refuse a summons; even if a tiny part of you wants to, you never say no. You go to the lab, or to the caravan, or they call you outside, or take you somewhere else where you are so utterly observable to the public, you can't believe what's really going on. But it's for television. No one ever questions that. People are so used to cameras they don't even notice them anymore. But then you're always being watched. You just can't always be sure you can actually see where all the cameras are. That's the frightening thing.  
  
-  
  
I don't know why I give in, not anymore. I guess I just really want to, I want to make him happy. So I do all his stupid tasks, and I dream of taking Alex and running away from this place, and when he calls me to his chambers, I don't need to be told to bow and kneel at his feet, because I do so willingly now. That's all I want, to make him happy.  
  
Because submission means kneeling beside Alex, and sometimes, he's allowed to touch me, willingly, and it's the most wonderful feeling in the world, to be able to lie with him, and his kisses are just so sweet, like the most delicate drop of warm, sweet honey on your lips, and all I want to do is sink forever into his arms.  
  
-  
  
It was always going to be Alex that made me want to submit to his master. He wore me down so slowly, convinced me it was what I wanted, what I desired, and in the end, I did. It was all I wanted. I dreamed about his master, I dreamed about wanting him, about having sex with him, about bringing him every pleasure in the world, because his pleasure was my pleasure.  
  
All those sessions spent bowing at his feet, being tested, resisting him every step of the way, it was all like a game to me in the end. I wanted to beat him, I wanted to make _him_ submit to _me_! Then I could take Alex all for myself and take him away.  
  
It's always the touch of kindness that does you in. Because he was never cruel. He was never violent. He never shouted orders or threatened to hurt you. He seduced you. He charmed you. He made you tear down all your defences. He might just gently touch your cheek, or make you laugh, or let you punish Alex, and he works his way slowly into your heart in a way you never realise until it's too late, until you really want to please him, because the pleasure you get from him is incredible. I wanted more sex, and I got it from his - _my_ \- master. He broke me with love and I gave in willingly.  
  
-  
  
He whispered promises of gifts, of a place at Court, whispered that he needed you, that was why you knew about his plans, he let you know because he needed you. He flattered you, wooed you, made you fall so much in love with him you willingly told him everything you knew, and then you were his. He owned you then. He won. They won. They broke you after all.  
  
-  
  
Maybe I didn't see that clock move after all. Maybe I didn't see his shadow down the hallway. Maybe all I saw was nothing. Maybe it was nothing, after all.  
  
Maybe I'm wrong about the lights. I don't know anymore. 


	3. I Don't Mean To Lie, But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex's innocence is a mask that hides a much darker secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem pattern based on [A053672](https://oeis.org/A053672).

I don't mean to lie

Because lies conceal the truth from You

And that's not what my job is

i just have to keep secrets, to keep silence from You

i have to be able to judge what really needs hiding

And what is a lie

Because I do sometimes lie to You, Sir, when I've been bad

But they're different to all these secrets 

Secrets I need to keep from You

Because I must, because it's my job

Because I mustn't spoil things

I must keep my silence and keep quiet about my pain

keep quiet about all my desperate humiliations when all I want

Is for You to be with me, to hold me close, to

Heal my pain, make me feel better

But I must be silent

I can't speak a word to You

I must keep my silence because it makes the show better 

When You don't know, when You haven't seen, the depths of my humiliation

And I've kept so quiet for months,  the pain burning inside my heart

And it hurts so much

But it feels so good after that 

When the whole world now knows everything 

When my pain is now made public

And I hear You laughing at me and I hate it

But I love it, Sir

The pain is awful, but it hurts so good to me 

To see all my shame broadcast in front of them all

It is the best secret I keep

It is the worst secret I keep

From You, my dear Master

A relationship like this must be built on trust, loyalty, and honesty, Sir

How can You trust me when I have to keep secrets from You?

I'm very good at my job, Sir, that's why I'm here

i can lie to Your face and You'd never know, Sir

I lie to everyone, Sir

I pretend to be their friends only 

To stab them in the face later

I know whose side I'm on, Sir, and it's my own

I must lie to You, I must keep secrets from You

I can't tell the truth

Do You trust me when I say it's all for the best, Sir?

Do You accept me at my word?

Should You accept me at my word?

All I do is lie to You

I hide the truth away

You lie very well, Sir, but You don't lie like me

You lie when You tell stories, when You make us laugh

I lie because I must, because the show demands it, Sir

I must not tell You anything, Sir

But I don't like it

I wish I could be honest, Sir

I wish I could tell You everything, that I could hide nothing, Sir

That I could be the ruthlessly honest servant You really deserve from me

But I can't, because I have to lie, I have to keep secrets

It's always worth it, Sir

Seeing Your reaction is always worth it

When You finally see what I've done

When all my secrets are finally revealed 

I don't even know if You can tell when I'm lying 

You say You know liars

But You don't know me, Sir, and how good I am

You don't know all the things that I hide from You that You will never uncover, Sir

I must still have my secrets, Sir

The things no one ever knows about

Secrets I will never tell 

Because some secrets are too dangerous to be careless with them

Some secrets I can't talk about, because You'll hate me, Sir

You say You'll love me forever, that You'll never leave me

But You would if You knew what I've done, dear Master

It does not wash off

I am not even writing to You

You will never see this writing, Sir

But even then, I should not be writing this down, it's too dangerous

You have no idea what You're messing with, Sir, none at all, it's going to kill You

I have my own Masters

They have Their own secrets too, secrets I will never know or I will die too

Death in the Village, dear Master

It is a long, enduring, painful death

It is a death I don't want 

At least, not for You

Believe me when I say You should stop this now, Sir

You'll lose, They are more powerful than You could ever realise 

But I can't tell You this, because I must keep secrets

You must find out on Your own 


	4. Dis/Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex really should have learnt to trust his master by now.

The hideout, it’s fair to say, had not been that difficult to find. It was tucked away at the back of an industrial estate, but it hadn’t really been hidden. Alex thought they’d have planned better than this, but perhaps that’s why they’d been so easy to break. In the end, they just hadn’t been secretive enough.   
  
Alex did pause for a moment, because they had honestly just left papers all over the place, and it felt a little bit too obvious to him. As a precaution, he pressed a little button on his watch to activate Rover, just in case he needed to take anyone out. A tiny little shiny blue ball appeared just above his shoulder and settled down in place, waiting for his orders.   
  
Rover had improved a lot since the 60s. No longer was he the giant floating inflatable white ball that guarded the Village. Since the Village had become the panopticon, rather than a specific place, and technology had moved on in spades, Rover had also changed to suit the new environment. He was now super-fast, almost imperceptible, inescapable, and had new features that meant he could be used as surveillance, tracking people, he could stake out a building, and the latest upgrade had given him the technology to scan for hazards, bombs, and any surveillance devices that they didn’t control. He could also now either stun or kill, depending on the whistle Alex used to set him off. Alex always felt safe with Rover by his side.   
  
There was a little chirrup from Rover then, and Alex felt he’d been right to be cautious. He got his phone out and checked for bugs, wires, and hidden bombs, because while Twenty-Four might have been broken, she was still smart, and he wouldn’t put it past her to add in trip wires and other hazards if she knew she might be caught. Or she’d find someone to do it for her on her orders. She was that kind of woman.   
  
He went back to his van to retrieve his toolkit, and checked the scanner to see what needed to be deactivated. There were some trip wires, but thankfully, no bombs, and no bugs, either. Rover went ahead to show him where the wires were, and he let Rover decide how to cut them safely. Only when Rover signalled it was safe did Alex continue his work.   
  
He went to the bench on the far wall to look at the documents that lay scattered all over it. Either they’d been disturbed, or they were just really, incredibly bad at admin. Either way, Alex very much disapproved of such a messy hideout. If you were going to plot rebellion, at least do it in such a way that he wouldn’t find out about it this easily.   
  
Which did make him wonder if they’d actually wanted to be caught, because that might mean their plans involved infiltrating the Village and working their way through to destroy it. That had certainly happened once before, but then Number Six had been very, very good at his job, and remained the only prisoner they’d never broken. That was also why they’d stopped using the old Village, because it no longer existed. So now it existed everywhere.   
  
But the more he looked through the papers, it seemed more like incompetence than malice, that they’d just not been smart enough not to get caught. It happened a lot, particularly in such precarious times when it was all too easy to find enough disgruntled people to start a revolution with. It was his job to stop that happening, and he was very good at it by now.  
  
As he turned to go back to his van to get the archive boxes he needed to pack all the material away, he saw Mark standing in the doorway. It’s fair to say frightened was Mark’s default behaviour, but Alex could see him go pale as it slowly dawned on him why Alex was there and what that meant.   
  
Alex whistled. “Rover!”    
  
Mark didn’t have time to get a sentence out before he was surrounded by spinning shining light and he collapsed to the ground as Rover returned to Alex’s shoulder. Alex touched his earpiece.  
  
“Get a medic team here now. Zola, yes. That’s the one. One prisoner to move, but there might be one more,” Alex said. He didn’t wait for a reply and went to get the boxes.   
  
It was otherwise quiet now. Nothing moved. He had probably brought more boxes than he really needed to, but he hadn’t really known how much material he’d be transporting, and he liked to be prepared for anything. He resented the fact that he couldn’t stay and organise it now, but that wasn’t his job, and it would take hours he didn’t have. He still had other work to do and to give his reports back to Number Two once he was done.   
  
He returned to the hideout and made up the first set of boxes, beginning the work of packing it all up. It took a lot of effort not to sort it, but to just throw it all in together in one big mess. At the very least, he was able to pack all the papers on the desk into one box, but the filing cabinets would require more work. There were six of them. Plus, who knew what else was here? He’d have to search for it, to make sure nothing remained of their plans here before it was decommissioned for good.   
  
“Oi, oi, what are you doing here, Horney? Did Sally send you?” Nish paused. “What happened to Mark? Is he alright? Why are you just standing there?”   
  
Nish’s voice penetrated Alex’s concentration, but he didn’t look at him. He whistled again, and called Rover into service. The sound of Nish’s body hitting the ground a moment later satisfied him as he confirmed another prisoner had been captured, and to send another medic team. Then he turned back to his work, taking only a moment to see what kind of information they had.   
  
There were building plans here, schematics and blue prints, for several large buildings in London, as well as maps with transport routes from the ports to the hideout. Nothing spelled out exactly what they were planning, but there were photographs too, as if they were staking out the best places to target. He wasn’t thrilled that they’d been planning bombs, but all these groups like a bomb. It was a good way to make a point and didn’t require having to kill people with your bare hands. You could pay off someone to plant it for you and then revel in the carnage that followed without having to get your hands dirty. With a bomb, you could just target the people you were angry at, and minimise innocent casualties which might harm your cause.   
  
But they never worked that way, not for disorganised groups like this. They always overthought it, and didn’t know how to properly hide their traces. So of course, Alex had found them. He became vaguely aware of the medic teams arriving to take Nish and Mark back to the house, but he was engrossed in his work, and they never bothered him anyway.   
  
The plans they’d made had been further along than Alex had expected, though, and that concerned him. They’d stopped a lot of rebellions but none had ever got this far. Here, there was a list of names, potential mercenaries Alex presumed, who had been recruited, and a whole lot more they were planning to get in touch with. They spanned the whole country. There might be more cells they’d need to investigate to nip this one in the bud, but he knew Mark and Nish would be very helpful there. They wouldn’t take long to break. They didn’t have the courage for this kind of work.   
  
He took his time, then, slowly packing the contents of the filing cabinets up into boxes and taking them out to the van, one by one. There were also two laptops he found, and some concealed letters behind a wall, as well as bundles of cash stuffed in a briefcase, not all of it British.   
  
“I see you found it alright, then, Alex?”   
  
Alex smiled and turned to see Bob standing there, leaning against the doorframe. He’d been very helpful in shutting down this organisation and he would be rewarded for his help.   
  
“I found it just fine, thank you, Bob. Is it just this room, then, or are there more little spaces I’m going to need to search?” Alex said.  
  
“Oh, er, there’s a thing, just lemme-“   
  
Bob went over to a very plain-looking wall, and found a concealed switch, which opened a hidden door. “Ooh, it’s a bit tricky that one. Gets stuck a lot. But through there, Alex, that’s what you really want to see.”  
  
Alex put down the papers he was looking over and went through, stopping only a moment to make sure Bob would follow him through and that this wasn’t a trap. He still didn’t trust him entirely, not if there was no way to get out of here. Thankfully, Bob went through first and turned a light on.   
  
“I dunno where she even got ‘em all from, but that’s them, that’s the weapons. She just wanted to kill so many people, Alex. I just couldn’t let her,” Bob said.  
  
Alex recognised all the crates that sat in front of him, filling a very large space. There must be hundreds of crates of weapons here. This was not a small operation at all. This wasn’t going to just be a bomb. This was going to be a war.   
  
Alex touched his earpiece. “There’s a weapons cache. A really big one. You’d better send the trucks round. I’m not opening any of them in case they’re traps. Get here soon.”  
  
Alex surveyed the room again. It was a brick bunker, possibly hidden in the warehouse shell outside so it didn’t look conspicuous. But there were a lot of weapons here, rifles, shotguns, even missiles, if the markings on the boxes were correct.   
  
“Are there any other cells activated? How many people did she end up recruiting for this?” Alex said.  
  
“I dunno, mate, I just – she said she had brought in over a hundred, but I dunno. She did say she had plans in other cities though, I heard her mention Birmingham and Manchester, probably Bristol or Liverpool too, I think. Whether there’s anyone there, I dunno know, but that’s it. She might’ve been easy to catch, but she didn’t share her plans with anyone. I think only mebbe Aisling knew everything, but Sally wouldn’t tell anyone what they didn’t need to know. Also-“  
  
Bob paused, and Alex went over to him. “What? What is it?”   
  
“It’s just … I think she might’ve been planning something with Greg. I just – I heard her talk with him about it. Over the phone, I mean. I dunno if you can trust him. He might be in on it too. Compromised, like, y’know? I mean, she flirts with everyone. If she’s got him into bed, well, y’know,” Bob said.  
  
“I was hoping you weren’t going to say that. I’ve been worried about him for a while, but I thought he was smart enough to resist her. Leave it with me, I’ll find out what’s going on,” Alex said.  
  
“As you wish, sir, as you wish. D’you need me to hang around any longer? Only I gotta thing, mebbe, that I-“  
  
“Go, if you need to. Unless there’s no other hidden rooms you need to tell me about, then go. I’ll be fine here,” Alex said.  
  
“Not that I’m aware of, but y’never know, hey? Anyway, I’ll see you round, Alex,” Bob said.  
  
“Yeah, see you round,” Alex said.  
  
He followed Bob out of the cache, just to make sure Bob wasn’t going to lock him in. Before he let Bob leave, he made him show him how to open it, and how it worked, just in case he needed to open other doors he found there. Then he let him go, and he was now alone to get on with his work.   
  
He was troubled by the fact that Twenty-Four had been talking to Number Two about their plans. This was either his boss stringing her along to get her to break, or he was in on it too. Alex wasn’t blind to his boss’ ambitions, and if he hadn’t found a secret file in his chambers one day while tidying up, he might not have been suspicious at all. But this was perhaps the first time anyone might get close to Number Six’s success, and Alex had to decide where his loyalties really lay. He could sell out his master, or he could sell out the system. One, or perhaps both, might result in his death. But at least he wouldn’t have to keep secrets anymore.   
  
He let his thoughts churn it over as he continued packing up the filing cabinets. He read through a few files that looked interesting, but mostly just skimmed the labels and put them away. All of them would be properly catalogued and scanned in later, but perhaps this would give him a sense of what he should do.  
  
He was just about done by the time the trucks arrived to pack away all the weapons. Alex supervised this, but not for very long. They knew what they were doing, and he wanted to get all these boxes back to the house. It was getting late, and the time he’d spent there had given him more time to think, and question, and ponder. He had not come to a decision, but he dared not speak of any of it, because he was always being watched. He wondered if he’d been wise to even say what he’d said to Bob before he’d left, but there was no taking that back now.   
  
He took the boxes back to the house as he was meant to do, and left them with the archives team. He checked in on Mark and Nish, and found them sleeping in the living room. They’d be dealt with soon enough. Then it was just his report to Number Two that he needed to give and then, perhaps, his day might be over.   
  
His boss was waiting for him in the hall, and Alex bowed a little to him before he spoke.   
  
“Job done, then? All cleared up?” Number Two said.  
  
“Yes, sir, all cleared out. We might need to do some further recon though, there may be other cells in other cities. This plan was a lot bigger than we had been led to believe. That weapons cache was huge,” Alex said.  
  
“Good work. I’ll get the boys on to it, and we’ll see if there’s anything else we need to shut down. Now, come here, I have to speak to you,” Number Two said as he grabbed his wrist.  
  
Alex found himself led into his master’s chambers, where the door was shut behind them, and, Alex noted, the surveillance was switched off. No more cameras, no more microphones, no more sensors knowing what was going on in there. Number Two was the only one who could switch it off, and this was the only place it worked. Alex wasn’t sure he wanted to know what he wanted to talk to him about if it required absolute privacy.   
  
Alex got his answer as Number Two pulled him into a hard kiss, his hands roughly undressing him as he moved him towards his bed. Oh. That was what he wanted. Alex was fine with that. It had been a while, and perhaps he was being rewarded for his good work.   
  
It wasn’t long before they were naked, and his master wasted little time in holding him close as he began to have sex with him. Alex got a little scared at how aggressively he was holding him, and how he kept biting his neck and his hands kept digging into his skin. Alex loved all of it, of course, because he loved pain, but there was a tiny hint of malice in it that made him cautious.   
  
Alex discovered he was right to be cautious, because just as he was really getting into it, his master pushed him down onto the bed and used his weight to hold him there as he pressed his face close to his ear.   
  
“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing, Alex? I found that poem of yours. I heard what you said about me today, how you had your suspicions about my loyalty. Do you really think I don’t know what I’m doing? That I’ve somehow switched sides? You’re a treacherous little worm, Alex Horne, and I will punish you so hard for that, you bitch,” his master growled.  
  
Alex squirmed, unable to escape. His master’s voice was so harsh in his ear, and he shivered. He didn’t know what to say. “I-I just, I meant no - I couldn’t - you know I wouldn’t-“  
  
His master squeezed his head with his giant hand, and Alex was genuinely frightened, expecting his head was about to be crushed in and he’d meet his death.   
  
“Don’t you _ever_ doubt my loyalty, Alex. Sometimes, you have to give them what they want in order to break them, and what Twenty-Four wanted was me. And now she’s broken and her plans are in disarray, all because I let her have me. And here you are, you snivelling piece of shit, so easily convinced that I’m plotting against them. You have no fucking spine, you fucker. You disgust me,” his master said.  
  
Alex couldn’t help crying, because he knew he was right. It had taken very little to make him suspect his master had switched sides, and he hated that. He hadn’t been sure enough to simply dismiss it as bullshit, that it was his master’s plan all along to get Twenty-Four on-side and break her. He felt like he’d utterly failed him, and he deserved his punishment. Alex breathed a little as his master got up off him, but his relief didn’t last long.   
  
“Get up,” his master ordered.  
  
Alex got up, and stood before him, trying not to cry. “Yes, sir.”  
  
“I’m so cross with you I’m not even going to hurt you, because that’s just what you really want, isn’t it? You want pain, you want that satisfaction of me whipping you until you bleed so you can get off on the rush of pain you feel. But you don’t deserve that. Get in your cage and tie yourself up. You can stay in there until I feel like letting you out. You’ll eat whatever I feel like giving you. I’ll make you drink. I’ll keep you alive so long just so you can suffer quietly in here until you’ve paid for your disloyalty. You’ve _really_ hurt me, you fucking prick. I thought you were far more obedient and faithful to me than this. I’m very disappointed in you,” his master said.  
  
“Yes, sir, thank you, sir. I’m sorry I’ve been so disobedient, sir,” Alex said.  
  
Alex got on his hands and knees and crawled to his cage in the corner of the room. He sat in his little dog bed and tied himself up, binding his ankles and his wrists. When his master was satisfied, he locked him in and left him alone. The final touch was his master throwing a blanket over the cage to stop him seeing what was going on around him. It didn’t completely shut out the light, but that wasn’t the point of it. Isolation was the point of it. Alex burst into tears as he heard his master leave. He’d been so sure he’d done a good job today, but he’d messed up so badly. What was he even doing? How could he have misjudged things so badly?   
  
He was left with nothing but his thoughts as he sat there, crying, wondering when he might ever be let out of here. 


	5. Dis/Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is the truth when everybody lies?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure this fic is becoming just an excuse to write Greg as Lawful Evil ngl. (Also, Alex is Lawful Neutral not True Neutral I will die on this goddamn hill.) 
> 
> Inb4 you were all wondering if I did have a specific plan for this fic, which I do. I’ve just … had a lot of other distractions lately oh boy.

“So did your boy take the bait?”  
  
Sally’s question was accompanied by a soft, seductive kiss, and Greg enjoyed every moment of it. Where they were wasn’t important, except that it was one of the few places he could go and not be watched. Where numbers weren’t needed, and they could just be people.  
  
“God, yes, of course he did. I’m always right, and he knows it. He’ll be beating himself up about that for at least a week. Now we can get on with our plans,” Greg said.  
  
“Good,” Sally kissed him again. “Good. We’ve got work to do. So, darling, why exactly did you choose me to help you with this?”  
  
“You’re not on their radar. Besides, the sex is nice, too,” Greg said.  
  
Sally laughed. “You were far too easy to get in bed, love. It’s almost like you wanted me right from the start and were just looking for an excuse.”  
  
“You wanted sex, I was willing to give you sex, I don’t see the problem here,” Greg said. “Besides, you can get into places I can’t. You can hide. And you’re a deniable asset if anyone ever catches you, which they won’t. Sometimes, we just let them keep on plotting, just to make sure that’s what they’re really trying to do before we step in and stop it. Only this time, I’m not going to stop you.”  
  
“Oh, you’d better not stop me. I don’t want to find out you’ve taken me for a ride,” Sally said.  
  
“The only ride I’m going to take you on involves you riding my cock, just so we’re clear,” Greg said.  
  
“Abundantly clear, my Lord,” Sally said. “You’d just better hope your boy doesn’t suspect anything between us again, or this whole thing will fail. He’s more loyal to the system than to you, I promise you that. He’ll sell you out if he thinks you’re betraying your post.”  
  
“I know, I know. He’s awful like that, but he is a good fuck, I’ll give him that. Not as good as you, of course, but he’ll take anything from me, unlike you,” Greg said.  
  
Sally moved on top of him and rolled him onto his back. She stared at him with fierce, dark eyes and a cruel smile. “You’re the one who takes everything from me, darling. Do remember who owns you.”  
  
“How can I ever forget, my Lady?” Greg said.  
  
“And what a wonderful Lord you are too, so very obedient to your mistress,” Sally said.  
  
She kissed him again, and perhaps she gently fingered the collar around his neck as he held her close and slipped a hand between her legs.

* * *

  
Number Two watched her go, wondering if she ever realised just how badly she was being played. It wasn’t that he was going to betray her, that was never his intention. But, well, why build your own network of rebel bases when you can get someone else to do it for you and not have to worry about it being traceable to you? That’s what Number Two liked. And, sure, the sex was great, but that just helped him wind her up.  
  
He was high enough in the system to be able to work around it, which was the only reason he had even accepted the job in the first place. He’d wanted this, because he could see just how to take them down and come out of it unscathed. He knew what they’d respond to, he knew how they worked, and he knew exactly what buttons to press. In a world where everyone lies, and everyone has secrets, and you can’t trust anyone, that was a world where he excelled. And he would beat them at their own game.  
  
The fact that he got Alex as an assistant also helped, if he was honest. Alex was just so beautifully submissive, so low down he dared not question anything he did. Well, he’d tried, but after he’d thoroughly swallowed Bob’s bait about him being corrupted, Alex had gone very quiet indeed. Number Two had kept him confined to his cage for a week, just to teach him a lesson, and by the time he let him out, Alex prostrated at his feet and begged for forgiveness, offering his life to him.  
  
Sure, perhaps sleeping with his assistant and being his master wasn’t the most professional way to keep him under control, but it was sure as shit the most effective way he’d found that actually worked. Making someone submit to him was one of the most powerful antidotes to rebellion that he’d found, and he used it liberally on anyone he needed to have tight control over.  
  
The only reason he let Sally – Twenty-Four – be his master instead of controlling her was because that just worked better. Sally wasn’t at all submissive, and would baulk at being made to bow to him. Besides, she was the kind of evil bastard who appreciated ego-stroking (and other kinds of stroking) so it was in his best interests to bow to her instead. He hadn’t expected it to work so well, but she was so thoroughly his now that she wouldn’t stray from him at all. She was committed to him, and to the plan.  
  
Now all he had to do was make things happen the way they were meant to happen, so that when those bombs went off, and all the right people were dead, this would be his world for the taking.

* * *

  
The next time he saw her, she was playing the part of the broken woman expertly. It was only in his chambers at the house where she bowed to him and submitted to him the way he did to her, because that’s what everyone expected to see. She was so good at it that she even had Alex terrified of her, because she kept coming on to him, and he didn’t like that at all.  
  
Even now, Alex knelt beside her, and Number Two could see him trembling as she just reached out to touch his thigh, nothing more, nothing less. Sure, perhaps he’d done plenty to encourage Alex to be scared of her by forcing him into her company in a bid to break her, knowing full well Alex would obey his commands if he told Alex to fuck her. Perhaps Number Two had never had any intention of ordering Alex to have sex with her either, but that wasn’t the point. It was as much about breaking Twenty-Four as it was about reminding Alex who he had promised to serve and obey.    
  
But Alex had proved to have a stronger will than he’d anticipated, because as far as he knew, Alex had never touched her. Kissed her, sure, because he’d told him to, but he’d never slept with her. She wanted Alex, which was why Number Two had sent him to her, but she always held back and never forced herself on him. Even when they were together here where Alex was allowed to touch her or even sleep with her if he wanted to, all Alex ever did was gently hold her and give her soft kisses. Somewhere in that wretched little servant was a kind heart who wouldn’t give in, who knew where his boundaries were and would not cross them, who knew where his loyalties lay, and who didn’t want to be hurt anymore.  
  
Watching them now, Number Two suspected Alex’s fear about her were really about the fact that if he gave in to her and had sex with her, he’d be swayed by her completely, and Alex couldn’t abide that at all. He was committed to doing his job properly. He knew whose side he was on, and he was resolute in sticking to that. He wouldn’t be compromised, which might be why he was so willing to believe Number Two had been compromised by sleeping with Twenty-Four, because that just made sense to him. Which made him wonder how he could get Alex to give in and sleep with her, because if he had Alex on-side as well, he could force him to only be loyal to him, and get him to feed misinformation back to his masters to keep them off their backs.  
  
But would Alex have the stomach for it, that was the question. He hadn’t needed Alex’s little poem to know he’d done things he probably wasn’t proud of, or wasn’t able to even talk about. He was the same. That’s why they were here. This game had compromised them anyway, and they both had blood on their hands. This work required absolute sadism in the pursuit of national security, or failing that as a workable excuse, a willingness to overlook the suffering of others because they were just too dangerous and had to be broken before they could be made safe again. That’s what they did. They broke the dangerous ones and turned them into safe, viable citizens to protect the country and neutralise threats.  
  
Of course, what exactly they did to break their prisoners was a State secret. It was so much of a State secret that only a handful of people really knew the truth of what went on here. But it was fair to say that hiding behind a television show had an enormous advantage that they hadn’t quite anticipated when they’d allowed them to do it.  
  
Taskmaster in particular was the ideal show, because all the contestants had no control over any of it except how they did their tasks, there were always cameras around, so no one ever worried about being filmed, and they could build sets and get extras in to do whatever they needed them to do at a moment’s notice, and craft whatever they needed to assist the breaking process. They were also all mostly filmed in isolation, kept apart from each other unless it was for one of a few team tasks, and they were all bound not to talk to each other about the tasks until it was all over. Most of them had no idea how much of it would ever get to broadcast, either, not until they were in the studios, and by then, they weren’t in a position to complain about all the malicious tasks they’d left out. Besides, who would suspect comedians of being spies and terrorists anyway? It was the perfect ruse for the perfect crime.  
  
He wasn’t interested in forcing Alex to have sex with her, either. Partly, he just didn’t hold to that kind of behaviour in a master, but also, he knew Alex wouldn’t accept it. He’d just hate him for it, and it would probably just traumatise him instead. Sure, he’d forced Alex to do a lot of things he hadn’t wanted to do, but he’d never force him to have sex with someone. He knew for it to work he had to get Alex to make that decision himself, to give in of his own volition, so that when he was called on it, his guilt would kick in and make him comply with his requests. That’s how it had to work.  
  
Perhaps it was strange to have that as a boundary he wouldn’t cross, given how many more awful things he’d done already, but he’d always been firm on this. There were enough rapists in the world without him adding to it by using it as a weapon. It just wasn’t how he preferred to work. It was a lot less painful to seduce and charm them into obedience, because then they were still useable assets you could actually control. Sure, this did require a certain amount of breaking in to get them to this state, but it wasn’t torture, and he was done with that.  
  
He wondered, for a moment, if he could coax Alex into a threesome with her. Perhaps that might encourage him to be more intimate with her and make him choose to sleep with her. He could see the way she was looking at Alex, too, as if she was thinking the same thing. It’s not like he hadn’t planned for some sort of sex with them both here, so they were primed for it, but whether Alex would go along with it, he wasn’t sure.  
  
“Come here, both of you. I think I want to make love with both of you tonight,” Number Two said, sliding back onto his bed as he gestured for them to join him.  
  
Twenty-Four was unsurprisingly eager, as was Alex, which did surprise him. He must be craving his attention and touch after a week locked in his little cage. Alex still knelt just far enough away to feel respectful, while she cuddled up next to Number Two, keen for his touch.  
  
“Come on, Alex, come and join your master, he just wants to make love to you tonight, and so do I,” Twenty-Four said, gesturing for him to come closer.  
  
Alex looked a little scared then. “Oh, I mean, I wouldn’t want to-“  
  
“Don’t tell me you don’t want her, Alex, I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. I’m giving you permission to be with her tonight, if you want to. And if you’re afraid it won’t be good sex, you shouldn’t be. It’s incredible. She’s incredible. Come on, take some pleasure for yourself tonight after being neglected for so long,” Number Two said.  
  
Twenty-Four reached for his hand, and Alex let her take hold of him, gently pulling him close. “No one’s watching, Alex, no one can see any of this. It’s just you, and me, and our master, together here alone at last, away from prying eyes. Now, are you going to kiss me again? I just need one of your sweet little kisses, Alex, you beautiful boy.”  
  
Alex hesitated a moment, but lay beside his master and let her kiss him. It seemed he was giving in at last. Number Two encouraged them, stroking Alex’s back gently to reassure him this was fine, that it was alright, that he was allowed to be with her. He sat up and offered little soft kisses to the back of Alex’s neck as he slowly began to undress him. For once, he wanted all the focus to be on pleasuring Alex, to give him what he’d been asking for at last, for so many long years, and to use that to seduce him into sleeping with her.  
  
Number Two had guessed correctly that this sort of approach would work, because Alex let himself get lost in the pleasure as they undressed him and began working to seduce him. He’d been touch-starved for a week, and suddenly there was so much touch, and it overwhelmed him. She kissed him, and stroked his cock, and Number Two could see that, by that point, Alex felt there was no going back now. He was just where his master wanted him.  
  
Alex lay back and accepted it all as they both made love to him. He was fucked by his master, and he was fucked by her, and he was so thoroughly turned on he didn’t quite know what to do. There was sensation _everywhere_. His master even flogged him, giving him all the pain that he’d been denied before. He drank it all in.  
  
Number Two growled softly in his ear. “Sit on me, boy, then let her sit on you. I guarantee it’ll be worth it, Alex, just you wait. You’ll come so fucking hard, boy, just the kind of reward a good boy like you really deserves, yeah?”  
  
“Yes, oh, God, yes, please, sir,” Alex breathed.  
  
It took a bit of manoeuvring, and a little bit of prep, but then Alex was sliding down onto his cock, and Number Two held him close as Twenty-Four moved into Alex’s arms and let him inside. The noise Alex made at that sensation was just what Number Two was after.  
  
It made for an agonisingly slow fuck, with Alex stuck in the middle as they both took their pleasure from him. They wore him down until by the time he came, he was exhausted and overwhelmed with pleasure.  
  
Number Two cradled Alex in his arms, and Twenty- Four lay beside him, gently caressing his hot skin with her fingers and peppering him with little soft kisses.  
  
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it, Alex? Did you enjoy that?” Number Two asked.  
  
“Yes, sir, I really did, thank you, sir. We were just … giving her what she wanted, right?” Alex asked, a little fear in his voice. He glanced anxiously at Twenty-Four and then back at his master, clearly trying to reconcile what he’d done.  
  
“Of course we were, Alex. That’s all it is. She wanted you, so I gave you to her, and now she’s all ours, a broken submissive little prisoner who won’t do any more harm to anyone else, alright? You did so well today, Alex, I’m so very proud of you,” Number Two said, throwing in just the right amount of praise to sway Alex’s thoughts the right way.  
  
Alex’s face lit up at his words. “Really? You’re proud of me, sir? Oh, thank you, sir.”  
  
“Of course I’m proud of you, you’ve been a very good little boy, Alex, and I’ll let you sleep beside me tonight, if you want. You don’t have to sleep in your cage if you don’t want to. Now, I think we should take our prisoner back to her cage, and then I’ll bring you back here to reward you some more,” Number Two said.  
  
Alex made a little squeal of delight and he beamed at Number Two. He looked so very happy, and Number Two was very pleased by this. He gave him a kiss, and then, he grabbed Twenty-Four, perhaps harder, rougher, than he might’ve if he hadn’t needed to make a show of force, and dragged her off the bed. He bound her hands and then bound her to the bedpost, just to stop her escaping while they got dressed.  
  
“Alex, get dressed, grab her clothes. I’ve had enough of her for now,” Number Two said.  
  
“Yes, sir,” Alex said, scrambling off the bed to find his clothes. He found it a bit weird that they weren’t dressing Twenty-Four, but perhaps that was all part of the humiliation, to make her walk through the house to her cage naked to show the power they had over her.  
  
Once they were both dressed, Number Two untied Twenty-Four from the bed and gave Alex the rope.  
  
“Take her to her cage. She shouldn’t bother you anymore, will you, Twenty-Four?” Number Two said.  
  
Twenty-Four shook her head, and Alex was reassured by her meek submissiveness. Number Two watched Alex take her away, and tidied up a little as he waited for Alex to return.  
  
That had gone better than he’d expected. Alex had just given in to it completely, far more easily than he’d anticipated. Still, he would have a word to Alex when he got back to make sure it was clear to Alex where his loyalties should really lie, and that any deviance from this would result in a lot more than punishment. He might actually have to kill him if he became too much of a risk. Alex knew too much. He knew everything about what went on here. If it ever came down to letting all that information get out to his bosses and compromise what they were doing, he’d kill him first so that didn’t happen. He wouldn’t enjoy it, but it might be necessary to ensure the success of his plans.  
  
Then again, Alex might be the only one he might not have the nerve to kill, and that scared him too because he knew exactly what that meant. The only people he’d never been able to kill were his lovers. It was his one weakness. And if he didn’t think he could kill Alex, well. Number Two didn’t want to think about that. Alex could bring down this entire operation, and yet, if he was cornered, he knew he’d as likely tell Alex to take his family and run as he was to actually kill him. He wouldn’t know which option he’d take until he was in that situation, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to make that decision at all.  
  
Alex stripped and knelt at his feet when he returned, and began kissing his feet ever so softly. Number Two wasn’t going to stop him, because he did enjoy Alex being so submissive like this. When he felt Alex had done enough, he pulled him gently to his feet and hugged him tight, which Alex wasn’t expecting. Number Two just needed to hold him, just for a moment, just to feel safe. He didn’t know how many more chances he might get to just hug him, now that he knew exactly how he felt about him, and everything felt just that much more dangerous. It wasn’t too late to stop it now, was it? But he needed to get out. And the only way out was to take them all down and leave no one behind. Nuke the ever-loving shit out of it all and burn it all down to the ground. That was the only way out. Number Six had taught him that lesson very well indeed. He was the only one who’d ever succeeded.  
  
“It was alright what we did, wasn’t it? With her? I’m not compromised, am I?” Alex asked, apparently still needing reassurance.  
  
“Do you feel compromised, Alex? Because you shouldn’t, it was fine. I was there, it was alright. But I do need you to understand that your loyalty should always be to me first above all else. You are _my_ boy, you belong to _me_ , I’m here to protect you and keep you safe, so you need to answer to me first, and no one else. Because I’m going to have to ask you to do some things soon that you may not want to do, and I need to know you’re going to obey me without question, even if you don’t know what the real plan is. This is an incredibly sensitive operation, Alex, and I can’t let you know the details, because you’re safer not knowing. You’re going to have to trust me blindly, and I know that’s so hard to do, but those are the stakes. I wouldn’t entrust you with these jobs if I didn’t trust you enough to carry them out though. I don’t trust anyone to do this work except you,” Number Two said.  
  
Number Two felt the tension grow in Alex’s body as he listened to him. He hadn’t wanted to get so serious, but this was important. Perhaps he really was giving away that he was indeed compromised himself, but if Alex thought that, he didn’t say anything about it. Perhaps, like himself, he’d been in the game long enough, and dealt with those kinds of need to know plans long enough to just accept it as normal procedure, rather than some evidence that he was actually planning to take them all down and take over instead.  
  
“Yes, sir, I promise to obey you and only you, no matter what. I won’t question your authority ever again, sir,” Alex said, his voice sounding not as convincing as Number Two would have liked.  
  
“I’m going to need a blood oath, Alex. I need you to understand how serious this is. Because you will need to lie to your masters, and you will need to stay strong. You will need to make sure they do not find out about this or the consequences for us will probably result in our deaths. That’s how secretive this mission is. Only you and I are allowed to know about it, and even then, you’re not allowed to know the details. I just need you to obey me, and I need to know and trust that you will obey me first, or this whole plan will be compromised. It’s for the safety of the nation, Alex. Do your job, and trust me,” Number Two said.  
  
“Yes, sir, I will, I promise.”  
  
Alex pulled away from him and went to the dresser to retrieve the blade his master always insisted they use for these sorts of oaths. It was a double-edged blade with a black handle, and it had his master’s name engraved on one side, and his name on the other, bound together in blood and red ribbon. He didn’t need permission to touch it, because they’d made it together, and it lay out in the open to remind them of their promises to each other.  
  
Alex turned back to his master, resting the blade on his right palm. “On this blade I make my vow, to you, my beloved master, to be loyal and faithful to you, to obey your every command, to trust you to guide me and that you are ultimately in command of what you are doing, even if I don’t know why. I will not question your authority or your commands. I will follow my orders with strict obedience to your word, I will not falter, I will lie if I must to conceal the truth, I will never break this vow or the silence I am being asked to keep. My obedience is to you alone, beloved master, forever and always. May my blood and this blade speak as witness to my words, and if I should break these vows, may this blade strike me down and take my life, as I will not be worthy enough to live.”  
  
Number Two was pleased at how thorough the vow was, and watched as Alex cut into his palm before he handed his master the knife. Number Two wiped the blade clean and cut his own left palm. “I vow to honour your trust in me as your master, to take care of you, to cherish the submission you give to me, to never put your life in reckless danger, and to guard your life at all cost. Anything I conceal from you is for your own safety, and I promise not to lead you astray. My responsibility is to you alone, my dear boy, forever and always. May my blood and this blade speak as witness to my words, and if I should break these vows, may this blade strike me down and take my life, as I will not be worthy enough to live.”  
  
They joined hands, left hand to left hand, right hand to right, because Number Two wasn’t an idiot and he was not about to risk blood contamination for a vow. Alex gazed up at him, and sometimes, they made a vow together like this, but today, all Number Two did was kiss him and squeeze his hands, just a little, just to reinforce the contact and the blood they shed for each other. Sealed with a kiss, that was how this vow ended.  
  
When they pulled apart, Alex knelt and kissed his master’s hands and then led him to the bathroom to clean and dress the wounds. They were beginning to sting badly now, because they never had learned enough restraint to just do shallow cuts when they did these vows. They were infrequent enough, and serious enough, to make the pain and the scars necessary.  
  
Number Two drew him into a tight hug afterwards. Alex clung to him, recognising what making a vow meant, and how dangerous things might get. Number Two didn’t want to put him in any unnecessary danger, but it might come to that and he needed to know Alex would obey him without question.  
  
“We’re going to be alright, aren’t we, sir?” Alex asked.  
  
“Just make sure you can get your family out. It might come to that, it might not, I don’t know. But be prepared. That’s all I’m willing to tell you about that,” Number Two said.  
  
Alex shivered in his arms, and Number Two couldn’t help feeling his anxieties. Having a family was a risk in this business, which was why he’d never bothered. But he had to look out for Alex’s family too, because they had no defence. They weren’t part of this. He had a responsibility to them and to Alex that he took very seriously. He didn’t just want to get out for himself, but for Alex too. Because he was sure that, one day, Alex would want to get out, and he’d find it impossible because of what they had on him. They’d make Alex a prisoner, and Number Two would rather kill him first than let them take all the information out of his head and learn all his secrets. Number Two had sworn to protect him when he’d taken him on as his boy, and he meant it. He’d protect him from his masters if he had to. He’d burn this entire fucking place to the ground if it meant he could protect Alex from them. Perhaps that meant Alex was definitely his lover, but Number Two didn’t care. He’d do it for Alex. Then they could both be free from this prison.


End file.
